al_squad
patreon
Bermuda Chapter 51
🕑 Added 2024-04-13 12:30:36 +0000 UTCChapter 51
Shorendo Hazelnut, the only S4-grade mage among the Council's combat personnel besides Hugo Agrizendro. His known main mana attribute was 'light'.
Just as he had wanted to meet Leonardo, Leonardo also wanted to meet him. The reason was that he was rumored to possess the speed of light, and when it came to speed, his name was always mentioned.
The world referred to Shorendo Hazelnut as Lumen, comparing his main attribute of light to his fast speed. Leonardo could understand why he was called that as soon as he saw his movements.
Shorendo looked at Leonardo, who called him Lumen right away, with a slightly surprised face. However, as if he was moved, his eyes sparkled, and he grabbed Leonardo's hand with both hands, saying,
"I'm honored that you recognized me at once."
Leonardo was flustered by Shorendo's action of suddenly grasping his hand tightly and bringing his face close, trying to shake him off as if it was disgusting. However, Shorendo tightened his grip and didn't let go, instead pouring out his impressions.
"Wow, it's been a while since I've felt such a strong fire. Moreover, Blaine, you're an All-Rounder, right? That's no joke."
"Hey, are you not letting go?"
Shorendo seemed to be genuinely admiring his mana. Leonardo tried to shake off the hand that was grabbed, but Shorendo only swayed along with the force, clinging on tenaciously like a leech.
Seeing Leonardo's disgusted expression from the side, Hugo opened his mouth.
"Shorendo, that's enough. It's rude."
"Ah, yes! I understand."
Only when Hugo gave a warning did Shorendo finally let go of Leonardo's hand. Leonardo narrowed his brows and glanced at him, thinking,
'He ignored my words.'
"Sorry, Blaine. I was just excited."
Shorendo, who was smiling brightly, didn't take his eyes off even after letting go of his hand. As Leonardo stepped back with a displeased look, Hugo, who had been watching him, turned his head and asked Shorendo,
"The report."
"Ah-."
Shorendo, as if suddenly remembering, stood at attention and saluted, saying,
"Loyalty. Deputy Commander of the Council's Central Branch, Shorendo Hazelnut. Completed inspection of five southern branches as a proxy for the Commander. I hereby report."
"Any issues?"
"No, there were no issues with the inspection. But as expected, the peninsula is the biggest problem. Currently, there are three battalions of southern troops in the peninsula. The progress is slow."
Hugo nodded in response.
"I have something to discuss about that matter anyway. So hurry and go report to the higher-ups."
"Haha, just a little more with Blaine..."
Shorendo trailed off with an awkward laugh as if he had more to talk about with Leonardo. And at that moment, a voice was heard, shattering his hopes.
"De. Pu. Ty. Com. Man. Der-!"
The voice that had been heard from the third floor earlier was now coming from the entrance of the first-floor building. Startled by that considerably angry voice, Shorendo turned around. Then, his adjutant, Erdin Shelly, approached him with a fierce glare.
"I told you to go quickly? There's a mountain of work to do after reporting your return!"
"I was just about to go, aaaaaah-!"
Erdin walked straight ahead without hesitation and suddenly grabbed Shorendo's ear. Although Shorendo screamed as if in pain, Erdin didn't pay any attention and saluted Hugo in that state.
"Loyalty, Adjutant Erdin Shelly. I will take Deputy Commander Hazelnut and leave now."
"Yes, good work."
As Hugo lightly replied, Erdin immediately dragged Shorendo somewhere by his ear.
It was a wonder where she got such strength from. The man, who was supposedly the Council's Lumen, couldn't keep up and followed behind her. Even in the midst of that, he waved his hand towards Leonardo, then frowned again and grabbed her arm, flustered.
"It hurts! I get it, so let go and go!"
"Shut up."
Erdin dismissed him with a single word and took him away with quick steps. Seeing the two leaving noisily, Leonardo said as if it was strange,
"Is that the Deputy Commander?"
"...He may look like that, but he's an excellent Deputy Commander."
At Agrizendro's quite generous praise, Leonardo looked up at him with a doubtful face, then soon made an expression of understanding to some extent, recalling the energy he felt when he shook hands with Shorendo.
Unlike the military, where the length of service was important, the Council's rank system that Leonardo knew valued not only seniority but also the individual's abilities.
Therefore, there were many cases where those with strong power and outstanding achievements quickly rose to high positions. In such a Council, it was known that Shorendo Hazelnut was relatively young and had reached the position of Deputy Commander in almost the shortest time. That meant he possessed exceptional abilities and was an immensely powerful individual.
Thinking like that, Leonardo was suddenly engulfed in a question: just how strong was Hugo Agrizendro, who was superior to that Shorendo Hazelnut?
He had fought with him but had never seen his limit. Therefore, it was difficult to gauge the extent of his strength.
"Agrizendro."
When Leonardo called, Hugo's gaze reached him.
"Have you ever fought with the Deputy Commander?"
At the sudden question, Hugo asked back with a slightly puzzled face.
"Why do you ask?"
With just that counter-question, Leonardo realized that the two had fought before. Instead of answering the reason he asked, he asked what he was curious about once more.
"How did you win? Against that light."
Hugo stared at Leonardo without a word, then turned his head and looked at Shorendo's back disappearing far into the building. After briefly recalling the time he had fought with him, Hugo slowly opened his mouth.
"I think I trapped him in a room of mirrors made of ice."
At his answer, Leonardo was quite impressed.
Indeed, to defeat the fast speed of light, it would be advantageous to use its characteristics rather than physical force. Since Agrizendro was also an All-Rounder like himself, if he added a small amount of earth to the ice and made one surface opaque, he could reflect the light in the desired direction and control it to some extent.
That was also the method that Leonardo thought was the most insightful in a fight between ice and light.
As Leonardo quietly nodded his head in agreement, Hugo asked him with a small smile.
"Why, do you want to fight with that guy?"
Contrary to Hugo's expectation that he would eagerly say yes, Leonardo didn't answer for a while. He stared straight ahead where Shorendo had disappeared, as if thinking about something, then soon muttered in a vague voice.
"Well... The day will come when we'll fight someday."
Hugo thought that Leonardo's expression as he said that was somewhat ambiguous.
After looking at him for a long time, Leonardo, who felt the gaze, turned his head. A moment of silence passed as their gazes crossed. Leonardo stared at Hugo's blue eyes without blinking.
'If I can't defeat these two...'
Hugo felt that Leonardo's gaze was somehow intense, so he spoke first.
"Do you have something to say?"
At Hugo's words that broke the silence, Leonardo lightly shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing. He put on a contrived smile on his lips.
"No, nothing."
Suddenly, Leonardo thought that he had been considerably underestimating Hugo Agrizendro. Not only had he figured out his identity, but now it seemed like he could see through his thoughts just by looking at his face, which made him a bit frightening.
Hugo only raised his eyebrows slightly at his reaction and didn't ask further. Instead, he brought up what he had been meaning to say to him earlier.
"Leonardo, try to refrain from calling him by the nickname Lumen, as you did when calling Shorendo earlier."
"Why?"
"Although he seems to enjoy it, the culture of giving nicknames started from referring to notable individuals of the enemy army on the battlefield in the past or when thugs called their targets. It's never used in a good sense."
Hearing Hugo's words, Leonardo blinked a few times and spoke in a quite dumbfounded tone.
"Come on, it might have been like that in the past, but now even ordinary people use it without any problem, so why?"
"The fact that they're using it without any problem is the biggest issue."
Hugo answered calmly once again. However, Leonardo still had an expression of not being able to understand.
"Go grab any of the kids playing outside and ask them who the Council's Lumen or the Council's Kazad is. They'll probably consider it almost like a hero's title, right? Just because people use those words doesn't mean they're all enemies or thugs."
As Leonardo expressed his own opinion, he was rather intrigued by Hugo's cold and stiffened face at the word 'Kazad' more than anything else. He immediately grinned with an amused smile and emphasized it to Hugo once more in a teasing manner.
"Right? Ka-zad?"
Looking at Leonardo, who deliberately spoke more annoyingly when told not to, with displeasure, Hugo checked the watch on his wrist and retorted coldly.
"I think you've had enough fresh air now. Go back inside."
"What? No. I want to stay a little longer."
"I don't have time. Go in obediently."
At his voice that had become noticeably colder, Leonardo lowered the corners of his mouth with a face full of dissatisfaction.
'He's so inflexible, anyone can see he's Kazad.'
Comments
Bernie Jay
Ohhh, I love that theory!!! The lads from Bermuda rising up to kick ass!!!! Also, I appreciate the use of the word “denouement”. That was so nice to see!
rinrin_222
Hmmm, maybe Leo is part of a rebel group that wants independence or rights for this Bermuda place and its residents? Hence the eventual need to fight the council and probably the other major forces of the empire? The white butterfly episode suggests he has some sort of group supporting him. Bermuda has been mentioned quite a number of times by this chapter and well, it’s the book title, but info is still sparse. So far we know people from there are discriminated against, there are notable strong individuals that come from there like Leo and Hugo, and the place has a lot of orphans. Very intriguing and I hope all the plot points get a nice denouement eventually.
